The Sound of Her Voice
by Izumi's Apprentice
Summary: Even knowing where Cat is doesn't help the ache in Kara's heart, so she hesitantly starts up a weekly phone call with the press secretary, unwittingly allowing herself to fall further in love. Supercat.


Disclaimer: I do not own Supergirl.

Author's Notes: This was a Secret Santa submission for The Supergirl Femslash Exchange and I cannot tell you how amused I was when I discovered my prompter was a friend.

Prompt: Staying in contact as Cat takes the Press Secretary job. Either established and now long distance relationship, or falling in love from across the country

**The Sound of Her Voice**

Kara flopped down onto her bed, starfish style. It had been a tough day, both as a reporter and as a superhero. She was getting overwhelmed and wasn't sure who she could talk to about her troubles. Not so much to complain as to let it out into the void to a listening ear and get it off her chest so she could move on and leave it at the door in a sense. Alex was hyper focusing on work lately and J'onn wasn't helping that, Winn and James were busy with Guardian bullshit and dating, Eliza was busy with an research project and Lucy was somewhere undercover that Kara had yet to figure out. Oh boy, it'd be great to find and help out Lucy for a change, or even just talk. Shame Cat's halfway across the country now.

Opening her eyes, Kara stared at her ceiling for several moments. Cat has a fairly regulated schedule and she was three hours ahead of National City. Those times on Cat's balcony were immensely comforting and helpful to the superhero and even Kara in her toughest moments. Hell, the couches in Cat's office in the beautiful afternoon light were calming. Or was it just Cat's voice?

She groaned and burrowed deeper into her mattress. She couldn't be thinking like that. The distance was a good thing, helped her forget about her persistent little crush on her former boss. She thought if she focused on James, and to a lesser degree, when she appeared, Lucy, that her feelings for Cat would diminish and vanish but when things didn't work out with the photojournalist, they came back with a vengeance like Leslie and Siobhan did when they teamed up.

At least Cat was safer in D.C. then she was in National City. Leslie and Siobhan were locked up in the desert DEO base and she was fairly close to Metropolis so should the worst come to pass, Kal-El would get to her a few minutes quicker than Kara. Kara sighed.

It was her voice she missed. Over the years, she had learned how to distinguish Cat's moods by the tone of her sighs, the way she enunciated Kara's mispronounced name, or veiled her true feelings in a seeming monotone. Cat was a fairly open book to Kara and she reveled in that thought, even if they weren't on frequent speaking terms. In fact, it had been almost half a year since they last saw each other.

Huffing out in frustration, Kara launched herself into a sitting position and checked the time on her phone. Before she could change her mind, she hit call on Cat's contact, and stood up to pace in the hopes that she could stay calm and not hang up out of fear.

Cat's soft voice answered as though she hadn't checked the caller ID first, "Hello?"

"Miss. Grant, hi, hey, uh, I hope I didn't wake you up, I'm sorry," Kara rambled, biting her lip afterwards to give Cat the chance to reply.

"Kara?"

"Yeah," Kara squeaked out.

"It's nice to hear your voice."

Kara's breath caught in her throat and she nearly said 'Your's too'.

"Why the call?"

"Uh...I was wondering if you uh...could help me with a title for an article," Kara fumbled for a legitimate reason for calling her former boss that wasn't as pathetic as 'I missed your voice and wanted to chat like friends'.

Cat laughed lightly on the other side of the call. "Oh, Kara...the age old question. I assume, it's written? If so, then think about the main point of the article, what are you trying to convey? Then once you've figured that out, no matter how long it is, shorten it and find a way to entice a reader to click on the article to read the rest. Reword it as necessary and it should be all set," Cat explained succinctly. Her voice still sounded a little drowsy and Kara felt guilty for keeping her from sleep.

"Oh...oh, good, thanks, Miss. Grant. That, uh, helps a lot," Kara said, trying to intersperse her words as though she were writing notes while replying.

"You're welcome. How have you been?"

Kara paused in her tracks. Cat...continued the conversation? She smiled. "I've been pretty great, Miss. Grant, honestly, things have been so wonderful."

"Really?" Cat sounded skeptical.

"Uhm...well, no not really. At least not today. Today was rough. Lots of multitasking and troublsome tasks, but somehow managed," Kara admitted meekly.

"Oh good!"

"What?"

"I'm relieved to know even Sunny Danvers has difficult days," Cat chuckled.

"Oh."

"You hide your true feelings too much sometimes, Kara. Putting on that sunny facade as though nothing can bother you. But it's easy to see through to the trouble, the sadness, if you know what to look for."

Kara gulped. "Are you...saying, you can see through it? The facade?"

"Yes."

Kara was silent as she processed this information. If Cat could see through her demeanor, then could she see through her lies?

"And I'm here if you ever need a listening ear."

Kara perked up. "Really?"

"Of course," Cat paused. "I care about your well-being, Kara."

Kara grinned widely. She finally took a seat on her sofa, curling into the corner and pulling up a blanket. "How was your day, Miss. Grant?"

Phone calls between the two women continued for several months, usually after Kara was done with work, but occasionally the rare early morning call before Cat went into work if Kara was awake. They ranged from daily endeavors, work situations, funny stories, tales about Carter exploring the D.C. area and recommended movies or board games. And more recently, personal queries.

Kara had learned that Cat's father died when she was about to go to college and her mother seemingly didn't give a shit about his passing, which led to Cat handling her grief in the wrong ways. Cat had learned about how not-so-great Kara's biological parents were, bordering on criminal activity with some of their plans. Kara had even been able to geek over new movies and video games with Carter a few times, promising to visit him sometime soon. Kara hadn't brought it up with Cat, feeling it wasn't her place to make those plans and disrupt Cat's life in D.C.

Cat had been trying to call Kara far too many times today to count that she had to cut herself off at some point so as not to appear obsessed. Cat was concerned for The Girl of Steel due to the coverage of a recent fight with a particularly aggressive and reptilian aliens. Clearly, she was hurt if she hadn't picked up any of Cat's calls, and she was reaching the end of rope, about to use her resources to get some information on Supergirl's status.

Before she dialed the number of a prominent general—not Sam Lane—her phone rang. Checking the ID, Cat held the phone to her chest and sighed heavily. Clearing her throat to calm her voice, she answered the call. "Kara."

"Hey, Cat. Sorry I missed your calls. Alex kept hanging up and then demanding I explain why you were calling so much," Kara sounded weak over the line and Cat's heart clenched in her chest for the woman.

"Oh, that's fine. It's almost as if we have scheduled phone date, so not adhering to the normal time threw for a minor loop," Cat tried to sound blasé. More like a minor heart attack, though. She feared the worst for Kara, even if she was carted off by the people in black, one in particular with a very queer cut of familiar red hair.

Kara chuckled lightly and then coughed once. Cat's face fell as she listened carefully. "Sorry I threw that rhythm off."

"No apology necessary. Are you okay? I can't recall a time I've heard you cough."

"Just some chain-smoker passing by," Kara said, then her voice became muffled and for all Cat's might she couldn't distinguish what was being said.

She must still be in that black government agency's base. It must be tough for Kara to keep this secret from everyone. Cat could hear a twinge of regret whenever they got close to talking about her superhero-ing or about her past on Krypton. Cat respected her privacy and never pushed for further details or accused her of being Supergirl. She had made that mistake once before but never again. She didn't want Kara pulling away, not when they had finally patched things and were on a first name basis. For the most part that is. Kara still slipped up sometimes and called her Miss. Grant when she got embarrassed for some reason or another.

"Sorry about that, Cat," Kara apologized yet again. Cat shook her head but refrained from chastising Kara for it.

"Good, I'm glad to hear you're doing well," Cat said as warmly as she could manage. Her heart was still beating a little too fast and she forced herself to sit down in her armchair. Taking as silent a breath as she could, she pushed forward, "Today was quite hectic, I'll admit, but the entire time all I could think about was our chats." Was that a little to forward?

"I was too," Kara replied, an obvious lightness in her tone. Cat smiled and relaxed further into the chair. Even if she couldn't see Kara, or be there with her, hearing her voice was soothing enough after that terrible incident.

Cat couldn't ignore the fact that her feelings for Kara had begun long before these phone calls began. She had fallen into that classic cliched trope of boss crushing on their assistant and it was deplorable behavior, but she couldn't help it. She tried to ignore it, distanced herself from Kara using varied tactics but she could never distance herself long from those undeniable feelings. So she distanced herself physically but couldn't stay away long. Then she got the opportunity of a lifetime as President Marsdin's press secretary and incidentally distancing herself from Kara when they were beginning to get on an even playing field power dynamic-wise. They were becoming friends in a sense, she felt. Cat was still very much a mentor to Kara, she knew the girl looked up to her and trusted her advice and opinion, but they were sharing more of their personal selves, and the phone calls furthered that. And furthered the ache growing in Cat's heart.

"So Kara, I saw something on the news today that intrigued me. I thought I saw your sister working with the government and helping Supergirl get to safety. Tell me, on a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest, how queer would you rate Alex's haircut?" Cat was going to ask about Alex's job with the government but hearing the sharp inhale partway through, she changed her mind.

Kara chuckled, "I think it's a nine or a ten, yeah?"

Cat found herself laughing lightly too. "Definitely. So, I once met her as FBI, is that the agency she works for?" Cat asked, giving Kara an easy route.

"Uh...yeah. She has a brilliant mind. Background in medicine and science, and pretty great at solving mysteries so the FBI scooped her up quickly."

"Hm, I can see that. You Danvers girls are bright, young women," Cat said.

"Miss. Grant..."

Cat smiled to herself, sensing that Kara was looking down and blushing adorably. "You told me Alex took a while to warm up to you. What was the quintessential bonding moment between you and Alex?"

"I wish I could come visit you,"

"Then why don't you?"

Kara scoffs and fumbles for her next word, "Miss. Grant. It's easy for you to hop a plane anytime you like to cross half the world, but unfortunately I don't get paid nearly enough."

"Who said anything about a plane?"

Kara's mouth went dry. What...what was she getting at? She couldn't possible _still _believe she was Supergirl, could she? J'onn helped her cover up that misconception, surely the drab clothing and glasses hid her so well not even the most astute detective—okay there _was _one detective—could figure it out. But Cat had known Barry was The Flash...and she had worked for many years with Clark...

"Kara? You still there?" Cat's voice came over the phone after several silent moments.

"Uh...yes. Cat, I don't know what you're talking about," Kara hated lying to Cat, but she had to, right?

"Sure you do...Supergirl," Cat said in that silky tone of hers.

Kara inhaled sharply, both at her hero name and the change of tone from Cat. These communiques had been a bad idea, truly. She should have just...checked up on Cat every few months, not a few times a week. She shouldn't have shared so much of her life with the woman she looked up to and adored, had even come to...no, no, Kara was most definitely not. She took a deep breath and tried to center herself. This was getting ridiculous.

"If I don't see you here within thirty minutes, I'm changing my number and never want to hear from you again," Cat said.

Well, there was the ultimatum.

"Cat, I-" Kara's voice trailed off as she heard the tell-tale sign of the call ending. Crap. What was she going to do now? She couldn't bear the thought of never speaking to Cat again, even if it was something she suspected Cat wouldn't be able to maintain in all honesty. And she didn't want to disappoint the woman. Kara had half a mind to call Alex until she remembered that her sister was the biggest advocate for keeping her superhero secret and though Cat wasn't in charge of CatCo any longer, telling her was a huge problem. No one to talk to about this development. Just Kara.

Kara shook her head furiously for a second as though it would help clear her head.

"_You're on a hero's journey."_

Cat had once told her that. Kara had brushed it off at the time, thinking it her mentor being supportive of her and all she had accomplished that year, expressing how proud she was. Maybe...maybe she knew.

"_National City may have lost faith in Supergirl, but I haven't."_

"_Supergirl should take a page out of your book."_

She knew. All these years, she knew. Did Cat know when she hired Kara? Kara had been distracted by the coverage of the forest fire which eventually claimed eight lives. Eight lives she couldn't save because she had decided to stay in the shadows and not be a hero. Cat followed her gaze to the monitor and then mentioned the dedication to the job. There was no doubt in Kara's mind, that Cat had seen her continuing to watch the coverage as she answered.

Without another thought, Kara zipped out of her apartment into the air and flew toward the darkening skies. Finding Cat's D.C. Apartment was easier than expected. All Kara had to do was float above the city and listen for that familiar heartbeat that once soothed her when she feared for the planet's safety. Gulping back her fear at what would happen next, Kara landed softly on Cat's balcony and rapped on the glass door.

One moment too long for the superhero, the door finally opened to reveal Cat in comfy pajamas, glasses perched on her nose, her phone being tucked into a pocket. "Well...that was faster than I expected," she smirked.

Kara blushed and glanced at the floor, just then realizing she hadn't even taken the time to change into her super suit before flying across the country. Cat reached for her hand and pulled her into the apartment. Releasing her hand, Cat went over to the desk and deposited her glasses on the surface and turned to face Kara.

"Well?"

Kara looked up sharply. "H—hi, Cat," she smiled shyly.

Cat shook her head with a small frown as she moved to the sofa and indicated for Kara to join her, which she did, carefully keeping some distance between their bodies. "How was your day, Kara?"

"I..." Kara chuckled. "I think you know that, Cat," she said, having been helping National City for most of the day.

"I want to hear it from you."

Kara's eyes met Cat's and she felt her heart contract as her breath hitched. She forgot how soft and kind Cat's eyes could be, how she truly listened with her whole body when she wished to. Not to belittle the sheer beauty of Cat's face as a whole, those eyes always captivated Kara and she had found it difficult to maintain eye contact for long periods of time.

Kara took a deep breath and looked down at her clasped hands. "Well, we got a call early in the morning that an alien had escaped its confinement and the building it was being held in. Tracking it down was quite tricky as it has a kind of chameleon like skin, so it easily blends into its surroundings. Luckily, Ale—" Kara cut herself off, "—one of the agents I was working with informed me that its heart beats at a different frequency than most aliens and humans I'm familiar with so my ears got quite the workout blocking out unnecessary noises today."

"Is it hard?"

"Hm?"

"Your senses? Do you get easily overwhelmed?"

She nodded, fiddling with her glasses before taking them off and offering them to Cat. "They were made for me by my foster father, Jeremiah. They're lined in lead, the one Earth element I can't see through with my xray vision. They help a little with the hearing too, but it's not a perfect concept," Kara explained.

Cat examined the glasses as Kara explained, noting that they were indeed a little heavier than the typical glasses on the market at present. The frames and arms being made of lead would easily explain that. In a moment of curiosity, she set them upon her own face and glanced around. No surprise that they were clear lenses, but aside from the weight, Cat didn't notice any differences. "Interesting," she said, handing the glasses back.

Kara smiled. It was a relief being able to talk about these things with Cat. She had almost let a few things slip in their previous conversations regarding her secret, or her time on Krypton. Now, she didn't have to worry, and she wasn't going to insult Cat in asking her to keep it a secret. If she knew for as long as Kara suspected, she could have written an exclusive on it much sooner, but she didn't.

"Cat...how long have you known?" Kara asked wringing her hands.

"Since the day after. Why of all incidents, that plane?"

"Alex was on that plane."

"Ah, of course, the sister."

"It took me several moments to remember how to fly. It had been..." Kara exhaled. "So many years since I'd last flown."

"Why?"

Kara bit her lip and felt herself wanting to shrink into herself, but before she could, Cat's hand was resting on her joined ones. She looked up and saw compassion in Cat's eyes, genuine curiosity, and safety. "I went out flying one night with Alex against her parents' wishes, and when we returned a government agent appeared and blackmailed Jeremiah into joining the agency in order to protect me. Had I not gone out flying, had I been more careful with my powers, if I hadn't-"

"Kara!" Cat spoke swiftly, cutting the rambling woman off. "It's not your fault. I may not know all of the details, but any parent would do that for any of their children, and blackmail is a truly despicable means to an end. Taking a father from his family...ridiculous. It is not your fault," she said, leaning closer toward Kara to try and establish eye contact.

Kara nodded slowly, gulping down the lump in her throat. She then loosened one of her hands and flipped it in order to hold Cat's hand if she was amenable. The comforting squeeze she received drew a small smile to Kara's face.

"Perhaps," Kara conceded, but didn't add anything more. "How..." Kara cleared her throat, "...how was your day, Cat?"

With her free hand, Cat swatted at the air. "Same old boring bullshit dealing with old white politicians and the idiot media of D.C." she smiled at Kara. "I'm glad you're here though. I forgot how sunny you are," Cat admitted softly. When Kara chuckled and shook her head, Cat added, "I'm serious. Your personality is contagious, your positivity is inspiring."

Kara blushed, "Thank you Miss. Grant—Cat."

"I've noticed you slip up on my name when you're flustered. Care to elaborate, _Kiera_?" Cat asked, tone entirely amused.

"Uh...nooo," she scoffed, shaking her head and averting her gaze "There's no reason for elaboration. Heh."

"Mmhm."

When Kara looked up, she noticed Cat was mere inches from her face and her breath caught. "Cat...what..."

"Tell me you don't want this," Cat whispered. She needed Kara's unadulterated approval.

"No."

"Hm?"

"I want this."


End file.
